Murder Ink 7/9/14

Edward Ericson Jr.

Murders this week: 6Murders this year: 103

A quiet first few days of July allowed the city to celebrate a half-year murder rate lower than any seen since the early 1980s. Then, with Independence Day fireworks cracking, the killings started again as if the city’s murderers are trying to catch up.

Monday, June 30

11:51 p.m. A woman at the Red Carpet Inn on the 5800 block of Reisterstown Road flagged down police to say her baby, 21-month-old Jayden Curtis, was not breathing, the Baltimore Sun reported. The baby was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly at 12:38 a.m. on July 1. According to the newspaper report, detectives determined that the child’s death was a homicide, although the paper gave no details and the department did not release any information about the death or the investigation last week.

Friday, July 4

1:19 a.m. Police called to 1303 N. Patterson Park Ave., in the Broadway East neighborhood, found a man with stab wounds in his upper torso. Medics rushed the man, who police have not yet identified publicly, to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:30 a.m.

5:00 p.m. Matthew Drake, a 34-year-old African-American man, was on the 3200 block of Chelsea Terrace when someone shot him multiple times in the head and, according to police, “fled in an unknown direction.” Drake was the uncle of Michael Mayfield, who was shot to death in a minivan as he left the Drake residence on the 2300 block of Lyndhurst Avenue on April 16.

Saturday, July 5

12:15 a.m. Tavone Dennis, a 28-year-old African-American man, was on 2517 Christian St. in the Carrollton Ridge neighborhood, when someone shot him in the chest. Police responded to the scene and medics took Davis to a hospital, where Dennis died soon after.

10:56 a.m. Eastern District police came to 329 Folcroft St. in the Joseph Lee neighborhood and found two elderly people shot to death. They believe that Ronald Kullman, a 76-year-old Caucasian man, shot his relative, Janet Dalesio, an 84-year-old Caucasian woman, and then shot himself in the head. Police say the two had long-term health issues.

7:50 p.m. Police patrolling the Penn North neighborhood heard gunshots and rushed toward them. On 1500 Whitelock St. they found Robert Hodge, a 23-year-old African-American man, lying on the street, shot in the neck and chest. Hodge, whose last known address was 106 N. Bradford, died there.